This course was carefully designed alongside and in conjunction with the goal of the Department of Applied Communication to “foster the co-creation of better social worlds through positive communication.”
Conflict is a natural and common part of our everyday lives. Conflict is often inevitable and is encountered when we interact with other people, whether it is our family, relational partners, coworkers, bosses, clients, or even strangers. By understanding the various ways of managing interpersonal conflict, we can help promote understanding and civil communication in our relationships. Overall, this course examines the nature of interpersonal conflict, how it occurs, and how to manage it.
This is an applied communication class: it combines lecture, some discussion, and some activities to focus on how you can translate communication research into knowledge and skills that will influence the quality of your relationships now and in the future. This course introduces students to the basic principles of effective communication and conflict interaction.
Course Objectives
This course was carefully designed to help you to:
1. Increase your ability to take others’ perspectives;
2. Understand the role of goals in conflict;
3. Develop a greater awareness of the role of power in conflicts;
4. Be able to identify the influence of emotions in your conflicts;
5. Expand your understanding and use of a range of conflict strategies; and
6. Be able to manage your conflicts more effectively.
